The former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, has said that decades of poor leadership, systemic corruption and diversion of local government funds are some of the major factors that plunged Nigeria into the present economic crisis.
He stated that those who despair and have been wondering how Nigeria got into the present unmitigated disaster should note that this is the result of decades of weak, wasteful and visionless leadership at all levels of government.
He acknowledged that over two decades of unbroken democracy has not resulted in adequate security of lives and properties of citizens, quality infrastructure, decent employment, access to qualitative education, health, shelter, food and water nor afforded the generality of people adequate standard of living which are the economic and social rights that enable people to live with dignity and participate fully in society.
A statement issued by his media aide Turaki Hassan in Bauchi yesterday said Dogara spoke at the 14th convocation of Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State as the chancellor of the university weekend.
“There is no hiding place for us any more because Nigeria is no longer the same. Structural injustices, mass illiteracy, mass poverty, mass unemployment and underemployment have all combined to pull out those we have pushed to the fringes of society to our streets and villages with heavy tolls on Nigerian lives and devastations at all levels.”
Dogara expressed concern that, “The numbers are staggering: with over 33% unemployment rate, assuming the numbers are not deliberately understated, and nearly 60% youth unemployment, our young people face an uncertain future.”
“We now have a critical mass of highly educated Nigerian youths who are questioning everything including questioning the questions themselves.”
The chancellor identified over reliance on oil revenue, removal of fuel subsidy, astronomical increase in interest rates, infrastructural deficit, policy inconsistency and uncertainty, corruption and mismanagement, weak industrial base, decades of systematic looting of LGA funds meant for development at the grassroots by states which serve as the middlemen in the allocation process and dollarization of the economy as factors that led to loss of monetary policy control, inflation and exchange rate volatility.
He said the most important question should not be how we got here but how we get out of it, saying, “Let us fix the energy crisis, for without power, our efforts to industrialize would continue to be a pipe dream. How ludicrous is it when I hear people talk about transitioning from a consumer nation to a producer nation when we cannot generate enough electricity to power our homes after years of massive investment in that sector without any demonstrable results.”
In order to make progress, he suggested that the country should be zoned and the generation, transmission, distribution broken down into manageable units.
“The concentration of power provision systems into giant/unmanageable units is a big mistake, as is evident from the historic record breaking national grid collapses within a year leading to frequent supply disruptions. This has continued to cause huge economic losses to our country, in terms of lost GDP.
“The smartest thing to do is to borrow a leaf from other nations. Breaking up the supply architecture into more manageable units, and involving the private sector, is highly recommended. Also, allowing mini grids to sprout all across the country, should be part of our overall long term strategy.
“Let no one beguile us, for without adequate and reliable power supply, our dream of a robust MSME ecosystem would remain only that, a dream! The privatization of the power sector, started in the past, should be continued and accelerated with the speed of light.
“To blame others is not the path effective leaders take. Grit, gravitas and gumption are what define effective leaders who do not bother about the next elections but their legacies and the next generation. Instead of spreading blame, or avoiding or circumventing tough conundrums or situations, effective leaders own and tackle those situations as if they were of their own making.”
He also commended President Tinubu for pushing the financial autonomy to local government areas (LGAs)
He praised what President Tinubu has done, whether it is the freeing of LGAs from the chokehold of economic stagnation the states had hitherto subjected them to or the groundbreaking bold tax reforms proposals he has placed before the National Assembly,
“I see a glimmer of hope that we may well be dealing with a leader who is prepared to lead with unbridled courage even at personal cost. It gladdens my heart that we are now dealing with a leader who is not avoiding stubborn tasks and very much unwilling to put off difficult conversations.
“With him courage has become a habit and that habit has the power to transform our leadership as the miracles we are desperately yearning for may well lie in the tasks and difficult conversations we are avoiding,” Dogara stated.
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